


Let Me Show You How Easy It Is

by TuskedLioness



Category: RWBY
Genre: Blood and Gore, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Gen, Heavy Angst, forced murder, i cant think of a description so just read it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 12:42:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16264433
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TuskedLioness/pseuds/TuskedLioness
Summary: Prompt inspired by my sweet but diabolical friend. She doesn't write fics so I wrote this for her because...well I'm a sick fuck and I need something like this to exist.Onwards to thenefariousangst.





	Let Me Show You How Easy It Is

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt inspired by my sweet but diabolical friend. She doesn't write fics so I wrote this for her because...well I'm a sick fuck and I need something like this to exist.
> 
> Onwards to the ~~nefarious~~ angst.

“You told me you wanted power.”

It was the first thing Cinder heard Salem say. No “hello’s”. Not any sort of greeting. As soon as Cinder returned to the castle; as soon as she was called to enter Salem’s chambers with Emerald and Mercury at Cinder’s side, those were the first words to leave Salem’s lips.

Cinder stood with her back straight, hands folded in front of her. Emerald and Mercury flanked her, a few inches behind her and watching intently. Cinder bowed before replying, “Yes, I do desire power and I will do anything I can possibly do to-” Salem cut her off with a dismissive wave.

“Enough.”

Cinder looked back up. The look in Salem’s eyes said that she wasn’t buying it…at all.

Cinder had just returned from Haven, having survived death in the abyss but only thanks to a slim amount of “luck”. Cinder could say that it was because she was capable; that she was worthy of a second chance that could no doubt prove her aptitudes. Cinder had to convince her somehow.

“I have worked so hard to see you succeed, Cinder, but you just are not excelling at it. I’m afraid you may not be capable of the power you want after all.”

Cinder’s eye widened. She looked up at Salem, words leaving her mouth in a slightly offended, slightly urgent tone. “Of course I am capable, ma’am. It was Raven! She set up a decoy and-” Salem held her hand up again.

“I don’t want to hear any more excuses on how disrupted this mission has become because of you.”

To Cinder’s surprise, Emerald barged to Cinder’s side. “She’s telling the truth, ma’am-!”

Cinder held an arm in front of Emerald. “Quiet.”

Salem smiled fondly as Emerald shut her mouth and backed away next to Mercury. “You sure have trained her well.”

“I can assure you that if I’m given one more chance, I can succeed at this mission with smooth operation,” Cinder continued. She bowed again. “I will do whatever it requires, Salem, and that is a promise I will never break.”

Salem nodded. “A promise you will never break…?”

Cinder nodded. “Yes, ma’am. I will do anything to prove my worth.”

“Cinder…”

Cinder looked up. Salem studied her…looking for something…anything that could be a sign to not trust her.

“…Are you weak?”

Cinder blinked. “No,” she said smoothly. “I have proven against this prospect multitudes of times and I have no fear in disproving it again.”

Salem continued to study her…searching for even the smallest ounce of a lie…a sign of even the minutest slither of weakness in her. Her gaze finally left Cinder, only to settle on the two teenagers behind her. Cinder swore a small smile twitched the tips of Salem’s lips.

“…Even without your subordinates? They do love to do your biddings, I’ve noticed.”

Cinder looked behind her only to see Mercury glare at the ground and Emerald’s brows furrow. Cinder looked back to see an encouraging smile on Salem’s lips.

“We work together and each of us have our own roles to fulfill the task at hand,” Cinder explained. “Similar to how you, I, Hazel, Watts and Tyrian have our own roles in order to contribute to your mission.”

Salem nodded. “That is an understandable explanation, Cinder. However…are you weak enough to not live without them?”

For some reason, Cinder’s stomach clenched- a sensation she wasn’t used to feeling. She refused to look at them, staring straight into Salem’s eyes instead, having to face her and maintain composure. “No. I have lived without them before and I can live without them again.”

“Are you weak enough to not kill them?”

Cinder narrowed her eye. “…What?” she said quietly, not really noticing the words that left her mouth.

“I’ll be clearer: Can you kill your subordinates?”

“Woah…Cinder…are you-?” Mercury began, but Cinder held a hand up followed by a prompt _“Quiet”_.

“Cinder,” Salem dripped with both venom and concern. “Are you weak? Do you truly want power and a second chance?”

Cinder felt the alarmed looks of Emerald and Mercury on her. In this moment, she knew this would be her and her disciples’ end. Cinder could leave alive, but not with them. She clenched her fists. “There has to be some other way to prove my-”

“You promised me that you will do whatever it takes and that means killing your subordinates…or not. Unless you were lying to me.” All of a sudden, Cinder’s Grimm arm twitched. It pulsed and moved, claws out and gangly fingers fastening around her neck. It gripped around her, but not enough to choke her…at least not for now.

“You can leave this room right now without your subordinates,” Salem continued. “Or…” Cinder’s claws nearly punctured her neck. “You all die.”

“Cinder…” Emerald quavered from behind her. Cinder didn’t dare look. “Cinder, you don’t have to do this!”

“Emerald, stay back,” Mercury growled.

“Cinder? Will you do this?” Salem said.

Cinder kept her gaze to the ground. She slowly looked up at Salem. It was either this or death. It was either live or die and get stripped of the power she worked so hard for. Her heart made a strange, wrenching sensation, and she looked back at Salem, gazing into those encouraging albeit doubtful eyes.

“You don’t look like you want to.”

For once in her life, Cinder didn’t know what to say or how to rebuke. Salem breathed a sigh.

“It’s understandable to not want to throw away those who have been useful, Cinder,” she said, releasing the tension from Cinder’s arm. It fell back to her side. “But they aren’t useful anymore and it is time to learn how to properly dispose of such people. So let me show you…”

Cinder remained facing Salem, bracing herself.

“…how easy it is.” Cinder’s arm stretched out of her control before it lunged. The claws went straight into Emerald's neck.

"Emerald!" Cinder shouted, Mercury saying the same thing. Emerald choked and clawed at Cinder's hand for dear life, but not even Cinder could get the arm to let go. Blood sputtered out of her mouth and Cinder's claws simply dug deeper. Emerald gazed into Cinder's eye with a look of pure horror, shock and betrayal for a brief moment before glazing over.

Before she could stop squirming; before Cinder could let go, loud noises followed by immense pain suddenly shot up her arm. She hissed and whipped around to see a barrage of bullets firing from Mercury and right at the Grimm arm, which was enough to make Cinder finally tear away. He stood protectively in front of Emerald’s bleeding, limp form and faced Salem. “YOU DID THIS!” he spat. “I CAN TELL SHE DIDN’T DO THAT ON PURPOS-”

“Mercury, don’t-” Mercury aimed at Salem. Before he could hit her master, Cinder’s arm grabbed him by the back of his jacket and flung him across the room. He collapsed to the floor, but he wouldn’t be down for long.

Cinder ran to the door. Escaping may not be the most honorable plan, and Cinder herself wouldn’t be able to escape Salem, but Mercury could. “Mercury, get Emerald and leave right n-” She tried to open it, only to realize it seemed barricaded somehow. She turned around to see Mercury dropkicking towards her. She tried to dodge only for his form to dissipate. _…What?_

She looked to the side to see Emerald, on the ground and barely there, looking at her with faded eyes. _She used her semblance!_ Which meant….

Something struck her arm and Cinder bit back a screech. Mercury was behind her, holding one of Emerald’s sickles, and Cinder glanced down to see her arm gushing blood and barely attached. “Sorry, boss, but we need to cut that thing off!”

Cinder wanted to let him. So long as the arm was removed, maybe she and Mercury could stand a slight of a chance more. But before he could strike again, her arm mustered up the strength to strike him next.

She wished she didn’t watch but she did. All in a split second, the claws pierced his belly first and immediately tore up his abdomen and finished at the throat. A grotesque, wet sound escaped his lips along with blood before he collapsed to the ground.

Cinder collapsed to her knees with him and she wasn’t sure whether it was herself or because of the arm. Parts of him were visible beneath the gushes of blood and his breath was ragged. The light in his eyes rapidly faded.

“Cinder. Are you weak?” Salem’s voice came out unfazed; nonchalant. Cinder didn’t know the answer anymore, but she shook her head.

“Cinder, I was simply showing you how to dispose of those who weren’t needed anymore, but your lack of effort and your cowardice clearly shows that you aren’t needed either. I took you in for your ruthlessness and ability to never succumb to mercy, but here you are, refusing to kill either of these two despite myself giving you the first shove. So tell me…are you weak?”

Cinder shook her head again. “I don’t want to be.”

“To be what you want to be, you have to conquer your setbacks. The boy is still alive. Prove to me that you can kill him without my assistance.”

Cinder hesitated. She couldn’t find the strength to stand.

“You disappoint me, Cinder. You disappointed me with your sabotage of the mission, but this…this is just embarrassing for you. This is not the face of somebody who deserves power.”

Cinder’s eye widened in rage. Suddenly she was back on her feet, forming a dust blade and drawing her arm back, aiming it right to Mercury’s chest, only to freeze again.

In a way, there was no doubt that Mercury was going to die anyway. And although she had struck at her subordinates a few times in the years she’s known them, she’d never once considered striking them with a weapon, let alone enough to kill them. She’d kill others and with a smile on her face, sure, but those situations were different.

Salem breathed out a sigh. Mercury looked at her, but she could tell he was barely there. He looked like he wanted to say something, but his throat was too torn up to utter any sort of word.

Pressure formed behind Cinder’s eye as she dropped the blade right into his chest. The light left his eyes seconds later.

Everything was a blur after that. Cinder was on the ground now, trying to hold herself together. She barely noticed that Salem sunk down next to her.

“You tried your hardest and I’ll give you credit for that,” Salem murmured so soft and gently that it made Cinder’s skin crawl. “You simply wanted a responsibility you weren’t ready for. You were broken inside, you felt like nothing and this was your only way to feel any sense of control, wasn’t it?” Cinder didn’t know what to say.

A sickness stirred in Cinder’s stomach. It took no genius to realize that, despite Salem’s gentleness, she was in no way merciful. Her thoughts were confirmed when she felt a stabbing pain in her back followed by a tear in her belly.

Cinder looked down. A crimson-soaked blade jutted out her stomach. It sunk back into her torn guts immediately as Salem pulled the blade out. She stabbed Cinder in the chest next, stopping her heart. She cupped Cinder’s head and tilted it upwards.

“I assure you your powers will be in capable hands.”

As Cinder watched her final moments drift away, she looked backed into Salem’s gaze. It was the last thing that happened before everything faded into nothingness.

**Author's Note:**

> Update: This fic got lovely fanart!
> 
> http://austasart.tumblr.com/post/178960498342/a-little-doodle-for-the-fanfic-from-smilowrites


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